Victory for Plant-based Milk and Freedom of Information in Schools, with Marielle Williamson (vegan), Part 1 of 2

Marielle Williamson (vegan), a high school student supported by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, initiated legal action against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), alleging a violation of her constitutional right to freedom of speech. As part of the settlement, the school district has committed to supporting the provision of soy milk to students upon request. “And it’s really important because 50% of the students that rely on the National School Lunch Program are lactose intolerant and feel sick when they drink milk, have stomach issues, which affects their learning.” This groundbreaking settlement also recognizes that students have the right to denounce dairy while at school. “You can’t censor one perspective when you’re just trying to talk about a product that is obviously harmful to students’ health, but also to the environment and for animals, of course.”

For decades, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), dairy farmers, paid scientists, and advertisers have collaborated to shape American beliefs regarding milk consumption, promoting it as an essential element of mainstream diets. “I chose to really focus on dairy because dairy is promoted more than any other product, and that’s because of subsidies and lobbying and just the connection that this industry has with the USDA and the foods we serve in school canteens every day. This food is high in cholesterol. It’s associated with leading health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol. It’s not a super food. It’s not a food we even need.” “If there’s a policy put in place that actively prevents discussing the benefits of dairy alternatives and the harms associated with drinking cow’s milk, then there’s obviously something much deeper going on.” Marielle Williamson, along with the support of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, achieved a favorable outcome in their litigation, leading to substantial changes. “These are barriers put in place by the USDA by the dairy industry to maximize the profits they can gain from selling cow’s milk. And it’s wrong. And hopefully it helps with the push for eventually, through policy, through national policy, making soy milk accessible to anybody who wants it regardless of intolerance.”